The love story between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed captured the world’s attention, blending royalty with romance against the backdrop of intrigue and tragedy. Diana, the beloved Princess of Wales, was known for her compassion, grace, and charitable endeavors. Dodi Fayed, the son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, was a successful businessman and film producer.
Their paths crossed during the summer of 1997, when Diana and Dodi were both vacationing in the Mediterranean. They were introduced by mutual friends and quickly found themselves drawn to each other. Their romance blossomed under the Mediterranean sun, with paparazzi capturing their every move as they enjoyed romantic dinners, yacht cruises, and leisurely strolls.
KEYNOTE OPERA
“Most of the time I end up playing a character which was written for a certain person and a certain era of time which most of the time doesn’t look like me,” he explained.
He said he was interested in how the princess and Dodi navigated their different faiths and cultural backgrounds: “There’s this sense of mismatch, even though they might be of similar status in a monetary way, they’re a world apart from an ethnic perspective, which is touched on a little bit.”
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Princess Diana’s son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, lived on Anglesey, where the opera is having its premiere, from 2010 to 2013.
So how would composer Lisa feel if they or other members of the royal family got to see her work?
“I don’t think we’re at all critical of the royal family because I personally am a fan, I think people don’t realise how hard they work,” she said.
She said she admired the princess’s work changing attitudes to Aids and her visit to Angola in January 1997 when she walked alongside minefields.
“I think she was a truly special person,” she said,
“I think that we show how fantastic Diana was and how compassionate she was for the people.
“I’d like to think that William, with his connection with Anglesey, would be really honoured with this being the first live opera done in his mother’s memory and would feel that the themes we deal with are dealt with very respectfully.”
David said if Prince William and Catherine ever got to see his work he would be “humbled and honoured and gently ask them how they are”.
Maggie said she hoped they would find the opera “really, really moving”.
“If they came they’d definitely have something to take away and I don’t think there’s anything too out there [or] too judgemental,” she said.
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